Is New Zealand’s South Island the Most Beautiful Place on Earth?

Jon spent three months hiking the island to find out.

Beauty, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder. It’s subjective, and I’m willing to accept other opinions when it comes to claiming the honour of being the ‘most beautiful place on Earth’.

But after spending three months hiking over 1,300km of trails through the South Island of New Zealand, I firmly believe I have indeed found the most beautiful place on this gorgeous planet we inhabit.

What’s even more amazing is that this bold claim is based on my experience of thru-hiking the Te Araroa trail (with a few cheeky side quests sprinkled in) which definitely misses quite a lot of the South Island’s absolute gems.

Particularly for us Aussies, the South Island is exceptionally picturesque. Insane alpine passes, dramatic river gorges, ancient beech forests, and remote backcountry huts often reminded me so much of landscapes in Europe, Scandinavia, and Patagonia – I had to remind myself that I was indeed just a short flight across the ditch from Aus.

It’s damn near impossible to distill three months of adventuring down to just a few highlights, but these are just some of the reasons why New Zealand is absolutely worth the visit.

Lake Angelus

Lake Angelus is one of the most popular hiking destinations in the Nelson Lakes National Park, and is credited, without a doubt, with my favourite moment of the entire three months on the trail.

Summiting Angelus Peak hadn’t even crossed my mind until some other hikers briefly mentioned they’d done it, and it was ‘pretty good’.

Cloud cover was looking abysmal for sunrise opportunities, but after peeking out of my tent at 3:30am to see a blaze of stars, I immediately packed up and set out on a wild, pitch black hike across boulder fields and up one of the sketchiest peak scrambles I’ve ever done.

Can confirm – the views from this summit are quite simply insane!

1/80s, f/5, ISO 500, 59mm

Routeburn Track

The Routeburn holds a special place in my heart. My partner and I hiked this track over three days together on our first visit to NZ many years ago. Hence my decision to detour off the Te Araroa trail to re-live the experience – but this time heading in the opposite direction and doing the entire track in a single day!

1/10s, f/5, ISO 100, 42mm

Harris Saddle, Routeburn Track

I definitely experienced four seasons in my day on the Routeburn. Sun, rain, wind and snow, all on Christmas Eve. While my traverse along the Hollyford Face was in a complete whiteout with about 50m visibility, once I crested the excellently-named Harris Saddle (yep, it’s mine) the low clouds vanished in an instant to these mesmerising views.

1/800s, f/6.3, ISO 100, 30mm

Lupins on the Motatapu Track (Arrowtown to Glendhu Bay)

After loving the mountainous beech forested sections of the Te Araroa in the south, the Motatapu Track seemed quite desolate in comparison. The trail through these mountains is generally incredibly steep and with very few trees. But the lupins were in full bloom as I passed through – a photographer’s dream.

1/250s, f/10, ISO 100, 24mm

Camping at Greenstone Saddle

This delightful alpine meadow was one of my favourite campsites on the whole adventure. Having the entire camp site to myself certainly helped, as did the preceding few days of exploring the Greenstone track (part of the well known Greenstone-Caples loop).

1/250s, f/8, ISO 320, 24mm

That Wānaka Tree

OK. Possibly the most photographed tree ever? But how cool is it?!

As I walked past the tree on my way into Wānaka on New Year’s Eve, it was midday and the shore was packed with tourists. No way was I going to even bother stopping for a photo.

But, after waking up before dawn (as usual) the following morning, I ventured out to see if I could catch the sunrise. I was treated with an incredibly rare moment of serenity with the tree while the rest of the town slept off their hangovers.

1/80s, f/3.5, ISO 200, 65mm

Beuzenberg Peak (Next to Stag Saddle) Overlooking Lake Tekapō

Stag Saddle is the highest point on the whole Te Araroa trail. So naturally, as soon as I reached the saddle I ventured off trail to climb even higher up nearby Beuzenberg Peak. The vista over the surreally coloured Lake Tekapō was magic, and I enjoyed a rare summit without a breath of wind.

1/320s, f/11, ISO 100, 60mm

Bush Stream, Two Thumb Track

This was by far one of the most challenging river sections on the whole trail. I lost count at about 13 or 14 crossings, each one approaching waist deep and flowing powerfully.

This section is etched in my memory for two reasons. Firstly, feeling utterly paralysed as I watched a fellow hiker get swept partway down the river after he lost his footing. And secondly, for scenes like this as the sun rose and started beaming down the valley. Very polarising experiences, yet both breathtaking in different ways.

1/200s, f/5.6, ISO 320, 24mm

Waimakariri River, Approaching Arthur’s Pass

Taking a moment to appreciate the view from Cass Saddle towards Arthur’s Pass was a bit of a milestone for me on this journey, even if just an arbitrary one.

The very first thing I did in NZ before setting out on the trail was to drive up to the Waimakariri River and complete a River Crossing Safety Course (which anyone attempting the Te Araroa trail should do).

Pretty surreal to think that after flying to Invercargill the following day, I had then walked all the way back to this point.

1/250s, f/10, ISO 100, 28mm

Kea, Arthur’s Pass

Kea are well known for their cheeky antics, particularly around Arthur’s Pass. They definitely contributed to the countless amazing bird encounters I experienced on this magical island, and turns out they don’t mind posing for a photo too.

1/800s, f/4, ISO 320, 70mm

Mingha Bivvy, Mingha-Deception Track

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t really nervous setting out on this section of the Te Araroa. Despite having hiked through hundreds of kilometres of crazy challenging terrain so far, the Deception Track’s reputation was gnawing at me. And, it had already sadly claimed the life of one young hiker just weeks before I tackled it.

Thankfully, it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable sections of my whole adventure with no mishaps at all. Probably helped by stumbling across this outrageously cute little bivvy!

1/640s, f/4.5, ISO 1000, 56mm

Lake Constance, Waiau Pass

Waiau Pass – yet another section on the Te Araroa with a reputation. I’d actually describe the trail up to the pass as less of a hiking trail, and more of a rock climbing route… with a full pack and no ropes.

So of course, I decided to level up and did this climb in the dark, so I could enjoy sunrise at the pass. Stupid decision? Most definitely. Worth it? 1000%!

1/60s, f/5, ISO 320, 70mm

Emerald Pool, Pelorus Track

Not hard to see why the Māori named their land Aotearoa, ‘the land of the long white cloud’. Rainfall is high, and encountering rivers, waterfalls. and lakes along the trails never got old.

The water colour changed dramatically too – from the hyper aqua hydro lakes around Tekapō, to crystal clear rivers through Arthur’s Pass and now the stunning emerald hue of Pelorus River near the Richmond Ranges. I can assure you, the swimming was sensational after a long day’s hike!

1/800s, f/4.5, ISO 320, 48mm

I wish I could share more than just this handful of memories from my time in New Zealand, as each different landscape brought a new sense of wonder and joy.

But one thing is for certain. New Zealand’s South Island is one incredibly beautiful place – I believe the most beautiful on Earth – and you absolutely need to visit one day.